Chapter 62

Chapter 61

Aria's POV

The first month of residential life went smoother than expected.

Students adjusted to dormitory routines. Wake up calls, communal meals, study hours, lights out. Catherine and her team kept everything running efficiently.

I still didn't fully trust her but I couldn't fault her work.

Then one of the students went missing.

It happened on a Tuesday evening. A boy named Thomas from the Western Pack didn't show up for dinner. His roommate assumed he was studying late. When he didn't appear for evening check-in, Catherine raised the alarm.

"We've searched the dormitory and school buildings," she reported. "He's not in any of the usual places."

"When was he last seen?" I demanded.

"Afternoon classes. His teacher said he seemed distracted but didn't mention anything specific."

Drogo organized search parties immediately. Warriors combed the fortress grounds. Teachers checked every classroom and storage room. Students were questioned about when they'd last seen Thomas.

Nothing.

By midnight, we still hadn't found him. His parents were notified. Alpha Kieran was informed. Everyone was trying not to panic but a missing child was every parent's nightmare.

I stayed up all night coordinating searches. Drogo was out with the search parties. Beth managed communication with worried parents. Rosa prepared the medical room in case Thomas was found injured.

Around dawn, one of the warriors found tracks leading into the forest beyond the fortress walls.

"They're fresh," he reported. "Made within the last few hours. Leading north."

"Why would Thomas go into the forest alone?" I asked.

"Maybe he wasn't alone. The tracks suggest at least two people."

That made it worse. If someone had taken Thomas, this wasn't just a runaway situation. This was abduction.

Drogo assembled a tracking team. Cole, Derek, and four experienced warriors. They followed the tracks deeper into the woods while I stayed behind managing the crisis at the fortress.

Parents started arriving by mid-morning. Thomas's mother was beside herself with fear and anger.

"You promised he'd be safe," she shouted at me. "You guaranteed students would be protected."

"We're doing everything possible to find him."

"Everything possible isn't enough. My son is missing. Where is he?"

I had no answer that would satisfy her. Nothing I could say would ease a mother's terror.

Alpha Kieran arrived shortly after. He was calmer than Thomas's mother but his anger was clear.

"This is unacceptable. A child disappeared from your school. How did this happen?"

"We're still investigating. But we will find him."

"You'd better. Because if anything happens to that boy, there will be consequences."

It wasn't an empty threat. Western Pack had invested heavily in the school. They'd trusted us with their children. If we'd failed to keep them safe, that trust would be destroyed.

Around noon, Drogo's team sent word. They'd found Thomas.

He was alive and unharmed but he wasn't alone. He'd been with Catherine.

My blood ran cold. My suspicions about her had been right after all.

They brought them both back to the fortress. Thomas looked scared and confused. Catherine looked resigned.

"What happened?" I demanded as soon as they arrived.

Thomas spoke first. "Catherine said my father wanted to see me. That he'd sent a message saying I should meet him in the forest. I didn't question it because she's staff. I thought it was legitimate."

"And you?" I turned to Catherine. "Why did you take him into the forest?"

"Because I was told to," she answered quietly. "Alpha Aldric sent instructions. He wanted to speak with Thomas privately. I was supposed to bring the boy to a meeting point."

"Why would my father want to speak with a Western Pack student?"

"I don't know. I just followed orders."

Drogo stepped forward. "Aldric isn't here. There was no one at the supposed meeting point. So what was the real plan?"

Catherine hesitated. "I was told someone would be there. That I was to deliver the boy and return to the fortress. No one showed up. After an hour of waiting, I brought Thomas back."

"You were abducting him," I stated flatly.

"I was following orders from my Alpha."

"Orders to kidnap a child from our school."

Alpha Kieran's face was dark with fury. "Aldric attempted to take my pack's child? This is an act of war."

"We don't know that Aldric was behind this," Drogo interjected, though his tone suggested he believed it. "Catherine could be lying about her orders."

"I'm not lying. I have the written instructions in my quarters."

Derek went to retrieve them. Returned with a letter bearing Aldric's seal.

I read it, feeling sick. My father had indeed ordered Catherine to bring Thomas to a forest meeting point. The letter didn't explain why, just gave specific instructions about timing and location.

"What was he planning?" I asked Catherine.

"I told you, I don't know. I just do what I'm told."

"You just blindly follow orders to abduct children?"

"He's my Alpha. I follow his commands."

"Even when those commands are wrong?"

Catherine didn't answer.

Alpha Kieran took the letter from my hands. "This is proof of Aldric's intentions. Whatever he was planning, it involved taking my child without permission. That cannot stand."

"I'll handle my father," I promised, though I had no idea how.

"You'll handle him? Your family connection is exactly why this happened. Catherine felt comfortable following these orders because she knew you wouldn't question your father's authority."

"That's not true. I question his authority constantly."

"But you still hired his pack member. Still gave her access to students. Your judgment is compromised by your relationship."

The accusation stung because it held some truth. I had been suspicious of Catherine but I'd let Beth's logic override my instincts.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked Kieran.

"I want you to explain to the education council why my child was nearly abducted from your supposedly safe school. And I want guarantees this will never happen again."

"I'll fire Catherine immediately."

"That's not enough. We need systemic changes. Better vetting for staff. Better security protocols. Better oversight."

"We'll implement whatever changes are necessary."

"You'll implement what the council decides is necessary. This proves you can't be trusted to make these decisions alone."

Drogo stepped between us. "Alpha Kieran, I understand you're angry. Your child was put in danger. But making decisions in anger won't solve anything."

"My anger is justified."

"Agreed. But we still need to be strategic. Aldric attempted something here. We need to understand what before we react."

After Kieran left to be with his son, I confronted Catherine again.

"Tell me everything. What was Aldric really planning?"

"I told you everything I know."

"I don't believe you. You're too smart to blindly follow orders without understanding them."

Catherine met my eyes directly. "I suspected it was a test. That Aldric wanted to see if he could remove a student from your school without being caught. Prove that your security was inadequate."

"Why would he do that?"

"To undermine confidence in the school. To make other packs question whether their children are safe here."

"But why? What does he gain?"

"Leverage. Control. The ability to influence educational decisions because packs are worried about safety. Everything Aldric does is about gaining advantage."

She was right. This was exactly the kind of manipulation my father excelled at.

"You're fired," I told her. "Pack your things and leave Shadow Peak territory by nightfall."

"Understood."

After she left, I collapsed into a chair. Drogo sat beside me.

"This is bad," I stated.

"Very bad. But we'll handle it."

"How? Kieran wants the council to take over decision-making. Other Alphas will probably agree. And they're not wrong to want changes."

"Then we work with them. Make the changes they're asking for. Prove we can adapt and improve."

"And my father? What do we do about him trying to sabotage the school?"

Drogo's expression hardened. "We confront him. Directly. Make it clear that attempting to abduct students is unacceptable."

"He'll deny everything. Say Catherine misunderstood her orders."

"Then we make sure everyone knows what happened anyway. Let other Alphas see what kind of tactics he uses."

The emergency council meeting was scheduled for the next day. All three contributing Alphas attended plus representatives from other packs with enrolled students.

They wanted answers. They wanted changes. And they wanted assurances this would never happen again.

I gave them what I could. Admitted failures in our vetting process. Accepted responsibility for trusting someone I shouldn't have. Proposed new security measures.

But I also made clear that Aldric was the one who'd attempted this. That blaming the school for his manipulation was letting him win.

"We can't control what other Alphas attempt," I argued. "But we can improve how we respond. That's what I'm proposing."

The debate lasted hours. By the end, we'd agreed to enhanced background checks for all staff, improved security protocols, and monthly council reviews of school operations.

I'd lost some autonomy. Gained more oversight. But we'd salvaged the school's reputation.

Barely.

That night, Drogo held me while I processed everything.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what?"

"For not trusting my instincts about Catherine. For letting my father hurt the school."

"You're not responsible for his actions. Only your own."

"My own actions led to a child nearly being abducted."

"Your actions also built a school that changes lives. Don't let one crisis erase everything good you've accomplished."

I wanted to believe him. But right now, all I could feel was failure.